Outdoors may be a tapestry of leaves and pumpkins, but it’s never too early to start buying for the winter holidays. Starting Saturday, the Brunnier Art Museum will host holiday art festivals. These festivals will have various artists demonstrating their talents, as well as many art works for sale.

Artist Dorothy Beach, of Rock Island,Ill., will demonstrate the making of her wheel thrown clay animals beginning at 2 p.m. First shaping the individual body parts of the animals on the wheel, Beach waits until they dry before putting them together. Then each one is fired and painted with oxides or glazes.

The animals vary in size from 12 inches to one inch and come in numerous breeds. Both domestic and wild animals are popular but it’s the moose that comes away the top favorite among art goers.

“The moose is everyone’s favorite,” joked Beach. “It must be from seeing them on ‘Northern Exposure.'”

What makes these pint size pets so unique is their unusual look. “My animals don’t look lifelike,” Beach explained. “They look like cartoons, very whimsical.”

Beach employs a different method when creating larger size animals. After shaping the body parts on her wheel, she fires them using a Chinese style called Raku. This ancient form of firing pottery involves putting the constructed animal in a container and firing it at 1500 degrees.

After the firing is complete, the animal is put in a different container and placed in sawdust. The sawdust smokes due to the heat of the clay which gives the cooling work of art smoldering shades of gray.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years. Doesn’t seem like it, but it has been,” Beach said.

“I like creating animals. There’s such a great variety and they’re so fun.”

Fun is what the holiday art festivals are all about. Doors to the Brunnier Museum, located in the Scheman Building, open at 1 p.m. Dorothy Beach’s demonstrations begin at 2 p.m. and run one hour.

A variety of art work, including Beach’s animals, will be for sale until 4 p.m. For more information call 294-3342.